How often do you let your flock out?

[michickenwrangler]

We usually let ours out for about an hour or two in the evenings.

 

[bobbi-j]

Mine are out all day, everyday. They do have an enclosed run, so on the rare occasion that there is no one home to let them out they can be in the run during the day. We are on a farm with plenty of room, and neighbor dogs are not a problem. We have hawks, coyotes, fox, skunks, mink and weasels, but they generally don't bother the birds during the day. No guarantees at night which is why we have the coop. I agree with replacing the chicken wire with hardware cloth (1/2" welded wire) and at least letting them in the run during the day.

 

[savingdogs]

Ours free range but only when we are home to keep an eye out for them. So we built them a yard, why don't you build a little outdoor pen so they can go in and out? You would still need to keep them occupied with things to do but if you had a little area outside for them, three birds could do fine in a small coop like that. We just have a door to the pen leading to the free range area and they learned to use it. It is easy to beef up chain link and find it cheap too.

 

[Mt Top Chick]

I was extremely lucky when we bought the house we are in now, it came double fenced. (the previous owner was a Husky dog rescuer) so i let mine out every morning and they have about 2 acres to roam. But you gotta do what ya gotta do.

 

[Tropical Chook]

I can't really be of any help. I built my coop/run with the intention of keeping three, maybe four hens for eggs. I now have 15 birds, so the coop/run, has simply become a coop now where they sleep and lay eggs because they free range all day. We were opening the coop each morning at about six, and then shutting them in once they had all gone in, but we have since started leaving it open 24/7. Of course we're quite luck because we don't really have a problem with predators. There are stray dogs about, but they know better than to trespass as we have two very capable dogs of our own. Both our Dalmatian and our Rottweiler are in the yard with the birds, even when we're not home. Also, I feed the dogs in the morning so at night they don't sleep too deeply. The Rottweiler in particular is extremely alert at night and will even alert us if there's a snake.

Of course we may loose a bird at some point, but our birds are just so happy being able to free range all day. Now, I know some may not agree, but I'm sure the eggs are bigger now as well, and they certainly do have darker yolks......perhaps it's all the grass and weeds they consume. The best bit though is that we used to have a huge tick population which we simply could not get rid of. We tried everything, and after five years, we still had just as many ticks. After just one month of free ranging our birds, ticks have become an endangered species on our property. I really can't believe how effective the birds have been at controlling the tick population. Hell, I should have got some chickens years ago.

 

[gryeyes]

Mine range freely all day, every day, even when I'm at work. I may lose one or two someday to predators, probably hawks... but there is a LOT of cover in my back and front yards with trees. They're very watchful, too - right now I have several roosters and all of 'em alert to aerial "concerns." (One little bantam rooster warns everybody about blue jays!)

They have an auto door on one coop of several of the birds, and I let the others out of the other 3 coops. They all put themselves to bed and I lock up the 3 coops without auto doors, and then close the run gate. The run fencing now is basically the first defense at night.

 

[Wyandotte34]

Wow thanks for all the replies. The coop is meant to be, as some have mentioned, just a place to sleep and lay eggs. Unfortunately I am not as lucky as many of you to have multiple acres for my birds to run in, so the 8x8 will have to suffice. From what I have seen, however, near where I live 8x8 or slightly bigger or smaller seems to be a pretty standard enclosure. Since many of you seem to think that chicken wire will not stop a dog, and we have many in my neighborhood, I will only let the birds out when I get home and can watch them. This weekend I will reinforce the enclosure with some larger boards, and heavier wire.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Mine are out from 6am to 8pm everyday. I had a RP hen killed recently by a fox, so they are now locked up at night.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I have 2 coops right next to eachother ... Coop #1 Has my grown chickens I let them out everyday no matter what! Coop #2 I let them out sometimes every other day sometimes the same day as Coop #1
Today I let both pens out .. I always get a few chickens in a different coop but it's pretty easy to get'em to their coop!

 

[oldchickenlady]

My 12 free range all day, every day. I (or my DH) let them out about 8am and they put themselves to bed right before dark. I don't close the coop but I do lock the run, which is a pvc hoop run totally enclosed with 1x2 welded wire. So far the run has proven to be predator proof. I truly thought that I would have lost some chickens to predators by now, but that has not happened. I do have a 60 lb Chesapeake Bay Retriever that is outside a lot during the day, but she is inside at night. I don't know if the smell of her presence keeps coyotes, fox, bobcats, etc out of our yard...or if they just haven't realized we have chickens! They are very happy and healthy and should start laying regularly soon! Oh...we had a bad tick problem also, and I haven't got a tick off me since I started free ranging the chickens at 4 weeks. Yaay! I hate ticks!